Enough

The past ten days have been emotionally trying to say the least. I’ve dealt with the lost of a dear friend last week, now “deja hurricane” this weekend. It is said that love in one’s heart and faith in God will calm the most difficult storms we face in life. God always gives us enough of what we need.

My faith comforts and strengthens me. The heavenly hugs that embrace me are revealed not as arms around me, but by timely words of encouragement delivered by angels, personified as family and friends. Thank you my dear family and friends for being angels in my life.

Earlier this week, I was hugged from above in the form of an email from a new friend. Her email contained the follow poem by Bob Perks:

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

I hope this poem hugs you, as it did me and I hope it comforts all that are in need of comforting.

John's Balcony

We laughed
We spoke
I sometimes cried
He often joked
Libations overflowed
Sometimes until dawn
He shared his emotions
Very openly

Never withdrawn
The balcony at his place
With a tree that hid a wry face
Our comforting assuage
Eased the burdens of life
As we stood daily on its stage

This is dedicated to my very dear friend, John David Cochran, who recently passed away. His friendship was a gift and his spirit will live forever...

How to Destroy a Relationship

• Be relentless in rubbing it in when you are proven right!
• Dogmatically maintain that you know your partner's motives better than he or she does!
• Totally ignore your partner's priorities and insist on your own!
• Operate on the assumption that your partner's sexual need cycle is identical to yours!
• Identify your partner's character flaws and family secrets and use them to make a point when logic fails!
• Use guilt to manipulate, get your own way or to punish!
• Become proficient at catching your partner being bad, but never comment if you catch him or her being good!
• Do not let go of the past, rehashing your version of it as often as possible!
• Cling very, very tightly, claiming that you will surly die if you are ignored!
• Make promises, but never keep them!
• Always make excuses for your bad habits!
• Pretend that you understand what you partner has said, even if you have no idea of the point that was being made!
• Act as though you do none of the above and it is your partner who must make all the changes!

Why Putting it in Writing Works

We all know that putting our goals in writing can make us more successful in life. We also know that when we focus on what we really want, we usually get it. But what is it that makes this work? It is our goal reaching mechanism in the brain; otherwise know as our Reticular Activating System or (RAS).

The Reticular Activating System’s function is to “turn on” our brains – it is the center of motivation. It’s connected from the spinal cord all the way up to the middle brain. This is where all outside stimulants (everything we taste, feel, smell, hear and touch) converges with all our internal thoughts and feelings.

The RAS determines whether a person is highly motivated or extremely bored. If this part of the brain were deactivated, you would end up in a coma. If it were over stimulated, you’d be focused on far too many things at once. People who suffer from ADD or ADHD may suffer from on over stimulated RAS.

The RAS is what keeps us in balance, controls our learning, our self-control or inhibition and our motivations. It also helps us to reach our goals. It does this by allowing us to stay focused and make decisions that move us toward our goals, as opposed to our dreams.

The most important aspect of setting goals…in order to reach them, we must first find something we love to do. It is much easier to remain focused on activities we enjoy. Once you are able to do that, you are on your way to real success.

In order for your RAS to work, you must practice goal setting. By putting your goals in writing, your RAS takes your internal thoughts and opens up the external world, which is full of information and enables you to focus on the desired accomplishment.

Focus on accomplishing your real dream, your real passion. Remember, you’ve got to set a goal on reaching it!

Live Life With No Regrets

Have you chosen to reach for the stars, living a life full of passion and possibilities? Or have you chosen to get really comfortable with watching your dreams pass you by and thinking about what might have been if not for those postponed and unfulfilled dreams? Only you can make the choice to live the life of your dreams. No one else can do it for you. You won't get what you want if you leave your life to others or to a number of random occurrences rather than a number of decisions.

If you want to live a fulfilling life with no regrets, you must live each day to its fullest. Think about the following areas of your life; where are you proactive and where do you need a push to get going?

· Strengthen your mind
Knowledge facilitates richer experiences and opportunities. Push the limits and find out where your true abilities lie. The mind knows where you are and can take you to where you want to be.

· Fear less, dare more
Do at least one thing every day that scares you. Don't be afraid to ask for more or reach for more. We could do it all if only we dared to go for it. Don't let fear paralyze you. All we need to do is overcome our fears and dare to follow our dreams. New experiences make our lives richer.

· Live with love and passion
Love and express love as much as you can as often as you can. Love unconditionally without any expectations. Be loving and passionate about yourself, others and your goals. Love and passion are motivating and inspirational.

· Serve others
Be a role model or a mentor. Help others live a better life. Leave a legacy. We thrive when we feel we are valued and have left the world a better place.

· Have a purpose
Purpose gives meaning to our lives. It changes our attitudes about life.

· Be fully present
To be fully present is to have no preoccupations with past or future. Remain in the now even when focusing on the past or speculating on the future might be more tempting. Smell the roses. Savor every moment as special and appreciate the beauty in life.

· Live with integrity and acceptance
To live in integrity is to have no actions that you regret; to be real to yourself and to others; to recognize that you are special, unique and precious. Accept and appreciate who you are and what you have but know that you always have the opportunity to become more. Accept and appreciate others because of who they are, not in spite of who they are.

Most important, remember the serenity prayer, " God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference."